Vehicle equalizing suspension



Dec. 31, 1946. G, LARlsON 2,413,572

VEHICLE EQUALIZ ING SUSPENS ION Original Filed Nov. 30, .1943 2Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. GLENN L. LARISON Dec. 31, 1946. G. L. LARISONVEHICLE EQUAL'JEZING SUSPENSION 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Original Filed Nov. 30,1943 INVENTOR GLENN L 'LARISON ATTORNEY Patented Dec. 31, 1946 VEHICLEEQUALIZING SUSPENSION Glenn L. Larison, La Grande, reg., assignor toLarison Compensating Axle Corporation, La Grande, Oreg., a corporationof Oregon Original application November 30, 1943, Serial No. 512,353.Divided and this application February 12, 1945, Serial No. 577,566

3 Claims.

with each wheel carrying its proper share of the vehicle load under allnormal conditions of travel.

Furthermore, the object of this invention is to provide an equalizingsuspension involving the two pairs of wheel-carrying assemblies for thedistribution of the portion of the vehicle load on that side of thevehicle among all four wheelcarrying assemblies, but withoutnecessitating the usual walking beam.

These objects I attain in the present invention by interconnecting thetwo wheel-carrying assemblies for each pair of wheels by a differentialmechanism and by so mounting each of the two differential mechanismsthat they can be moved as entire units, and finally by interconnectingthe two mountings for the differential mechanisms by equalizing means.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate one way in which myinvention can be carried out, Fig. 1 is a side elevation of two pairs ofwheel-carrying assemblies, mounted in. tandem arrangement on the sameside of the vehicle, with the near-side wheels of both pairs removed forthe sake of clarity, corresponding to line AA of Fig. 2; and Fig. 2 is afragmentary plan view of one side of the vehicle showing the two pairsof Wheel-carrying assemblies located at that side of the vehicle, thetop platform of the vehicle having been omitted from the drawings forthe sake of clarity.

In the construction shown in the drawings, the forward and rear pairs ofwheel-carrying assemblies it! are hingedly mounted on brackets H and i2respectively for movement in parallel vertical planes. The brackets Hand i2 are rigidly secured to a side frame member l3 of the vehicle. Apair of leaf springs M, carried in cradles M, which cradles arerotatably mounted on shafts I 5, are pivotally mounted on each bracketin the same vertical planes as the wheelcarrying assembliesrespectively. One end of each leaf spring is connected to thespindlecarrying end of the corresponding wheel-carrying assembly by alink l5. This mounting of the wheel-carrying assemblies is similar tothat described in my U. S. Letters Patent No. 2,226,100, issued underdate of December 24, 1940, entitled Vehicle wheel mounting, and in my U.S. Letters Patent No. 2,284,665, issued under date of June 2, 1942,entitled Vehicle suspension."

The other ends of the leaf springs are connected by'sprocket chains l 6to differential mechanisms. The pair of springs for the forward pair ofwheel-carrying assemblies (the forward direction of travel ofvehicle isindicated by the arrow :0) are connected to th differential mechanismli, while the springs for the rear pair of wheel assemblies areconnected to the differential mechanism E8. The housings of thedifferential mechanisms H and I8 are rigidly secured to the pivoted armsl9 and 20 respectively, and these arms are pivotally mounted on brackets2| and 22 respectively which are secured to the frame member 13. Thearms I!) and 20 are also pivotally attached to opposite ends of theconnecting link 23, so that they will swing in unison.

From the vehicle suspension shown in the drawings, it will be apparentthat upward movement of either of the wheel-carrying assemblies of theforward pair will, when transmitted through the differential mechanisml1, cause a force to be exerted in the opposite direction on th otherwheel-carrying assembly in the forward pair, but if both of thesewheel-carrying assemblies are moved upwardly simultaneously, this upwardmovement of both assemblies, unless entirely cushioned by the leafsprings, will pull the arm l9 towards the left, as viewed in Fig. 1.However movement of the arm IE] to the left will produce similarmovement in the arm 20, and such movement of the arm 20 will exert aforce tending to move the rear pair of wheel-carrying assembliesdownwardly. Similarly if the two rear wheel-carrying assemblies moveupwardly simultaneously, the result will be to exert a force tending tomove the two forward pair of wheelcarrying assemblies downwardly. Thus,this vehicle suspension acts in the same manner as a walking beam inequalizing the load between the front and rear pairs of wheels.Furthermore, due to the fact that the two wheel-carrying assemblies ofeach pair are interconnected by a diil'erential mechanism, all fourwheel-carrying assemblies will support their proper share of the vehicleload under all normal conditions of travel of the vehicle.

Although I have described a particular form of mounting for thewheel-carrying assemblies in each pair, other mountings could also beused for the assemblies and each pair of assemblies connected With adifferential in the same general manner. Thus the Wheel-carrying.vassemblies might be constructed in. the formxshown inimy U. S. LettersPatent No. 2,349,289; dated May 23} 1944, entitled Vehicle wheelmounting, the assemblies of each pair being connected to the oppositesides of a diiferential mechanism. bysuitable;

chains. It is essential however in carrying out my invention that thetwo diiierential's or"compensat-v ing mechanisms be mounted formovement'as entire units and be connected for simultaneous movement.

I claim:

1. In a vehicle equalizing suspension, apair of wheel-carryingassemblies pivotally mounted. on the same side of the vehicle formovement in substantially parallel vertical planes,v compensatingmeanslocated at' saidside cf thevehicle, a pivoted member supportingsaid compensating. means, said membermounted to swing in asubstantially-vertica1 plane, said assemblies connectedto saidcompensating-means. and said. assemblies-and compensating means soarranged that movementof. one-oi said assemblies will cause a force tobe exerted in the opposite direction on the other assembly Whlldmovement of both assemblies in the same direction will cause said memberwith said compensating means to be: moved, a second pair ofwheel-carrying as semblies-pivota-lly mounted in tandem with said firstmentioned pair of assemblies, a-second'compensatingmeans andla secondpivoted member mounted to swing in a substantially'vertical plane andsupporting said second. compensating means, said second'pairofassemblies connected to'rsaid second compensating means, and equalizingmeansrconn'ecting saidpivoted members;

2; ma vehicle equalizing; suspension, a pair of wheel-carrying"-a'ssembli'es" pivotallvmounted" on the same sideof the vehiclenfonmovement in substantially parallel vertical planes, atdifferentialmechanism located at said side of thevehicle;

a pivoted arm supporting said differential mechanism, said arm mountedto swing in a substantially vertical plane, said assemblies connected tosaid differential mechanism and said assemblies and. differentialmechanism so arranged that movement'of one' of said assemblies willcause a force to be exerted in the opposite direction on the otherassembly while movement of both assemblies in the same direction willcause said arm'with said'difierential mechanism to be moved,

a second pair of wheel-carrying assemblies pivotally-mounte'd in tandemwith said first mentioned pair of assemblies, a second difierentialmechanism and a second pivoted arm mounted to'swingiin a substantiallyvertical plane and supporting said second differential mechanism,

' and said assemblies and differential mechanism so'arranged thatmovement of one of said assemblies will cause a force to be exerted inthe opposite direction on the other assembly while movement of bothassemblies in the same direction" will cause said member with saiddiiierential mechanism to be moved, a second pair of wheelcarryingassemblies pivotally mounted in tandem with said first mentioned pair ofassemblies, a seconddifferentialmechanism and a second pivoted membermounted to swing in a; substantially-vertical plane and supporting saidsecond diiferentia-l mechanism, a second pair of' assemblies connectedto said second differential mechanismsimilarly, and an equalizing linkconnectme said pivoted members for'movement in unison.

GLENN L. LARISON.

